Kelsey Martinson

Fighting For Your Freedom - Poem by Kelsey Martinson

I wish I could watch you growBaby girlBut I'm afraid I'm stuckOn the other side of the worldFighting for youTo keep you safeProtecting youNot willing to lose

I hear you talked todayUttered your first wordI'm so proud of youMy tiny baby girlWish I was thereTo hear you say'Da'But I can't leave hereNot yetI'm still doing my dutyTo protectYou

They say that todayYou rode your first bikeDid it all on your ownMom said you held the handlesPushed off and droveI can't believeI wasn't there to seeI never thoughtThat it was a possibilityThat I wouldn't be thereFor your very first timeRiding a bikeBut I'm still hereEven if you can't seeFighting for youTo remain free

Ten years have passed Flew by too fastMom says you're a spitting image Of meI ache to see youTo watch you grow up But my duty calls meSo I'm afraid I'm stuck

Your first day of high schoolIs it here already? Seemed like just yesterdayYou were calling me 'Daddy'My baby girlDon't forgetAbout your old manCall me twice a dayThree if you canI miss your voiceHearing your laughHelp me rememberWhy I'm still hereFightingAnd not over there

You tell me there's a boyWho now stands in the pictureTell me he's niceAnd would never thinkOf hurting youAll I can sayIs he better notBecause even the mere thoughtHas my hand twitch Towards my gunI listen as you go onAbout life and schoolI wish I was therePlease never forgetBaby girlHow much I care

I wish I was thereBy your sideHolding you closeWiping your eyesYour first heartbreak Has you in tearsWhy am I hereInstead of there? It's so hard sometimesTo keep fighting this warWhen I want to walk awayTo hold you in my arms

My dear baby girlYou have grown so fastTears fill my eyesAs graduation PassesI'm so sorryI couldn't make itBut there was an emergency hereAnd I just couldn't shake itI know I haven't been thereAs much as you wantBut just know that I love youI hope you love me too

Finally, I come homeAway from the warTears fall from my faceAs you stumble out the doorThen eagerly raceYou jump in my armsSquealing with gleeYou hug me so tightIt hurts to breathYou have your mothers eyesSuch a deep blueAnd my strong chinCould it truly be you? You are so bigGrown up and oldBeautiful baby girlWhat happened? How long have I been gone? Could I really have been fighting for so long?

It is my turnTo watch you leaveCollege ambitionAnd hopeful dreamsMom cries in my armsI feel pretty dazedCan this be? You were so smallSo fragile and weakYou were just a babyIt seems like last weekNow you turn to goDisappearing from sightAnd I realizeThat my baby girlIs a baby no more

I fought for your freedomDefended this nationI will never regret that What I will regret Is the time that has passedByLike a ticking clockAbout to chimeI hope that you knowRemember why I had to be absentFor most of your lifeBut looking back nowIt blurred on byIn the blink of an eyeYou will always beMy little baby girl

Poet's Notes about The Poem

This is for all of the soldiers who have given up their time for me and every other American out there. I cannot thank you enough for your devotion for your country. And a special thanks to those who have given their lives for us. You will never be forgotten.~Happy Memorial Day~